Bayern Munich boss Uli Hoeness given jail term for tax fraud

By
Euronews

Bayern Munich boss Uli Hoeness has been sentenced to three and half years in jail for tax evasion.

The former Germany international player had hoped for leniency after voluntarily disclosing he had failed to pay taxes – but a judge said he had not revealed the full extent of the 27 million euros he had failed to pay on income stashed in a secret Swiss bank account.

Hoeness’ lawyer, Hanns W. Feigen, said they would appeal the decision: “We are sure that the next court will get results that depict this case better than done by the court here.”

In German law, tax evaders can avoid prosecution if they turn themselves in before an investigation begins. There are now calls for that to be changed.

Once a friend of Chancellor Angela Merkel, and an outspoken critic of tax evasion, Hoeness now has the dubious honour of having the most high-profile trial for tax evasion in German history.